Quick Cookbook for My Dad

I love my Dad, a wonderful mellow man. So much more about life I can learn from him.

My Dad is a life-long bachelor with no great affection for domestic engineering.

There are a million cookbooks and online recipes and quite simply an overwhelming amount of recipes and ingredients in the world.

He has been inspired recently to eat more healthy and make his own meals. Today we went to the market and bought $200 of fresh groceries. Here is a quick cookbook for him to guide him through his new provisions.

The Diet:

Eat as many veggies (and fruits) each day that you can.

Eat proteins often, but probably not as a big of a portion as you are used to.

Eat carbs, but much less than you think you need. These are so tasty, and so this is the hard part.

The Kitchen

Clear out the fridge once a week of old crap

Throw away any knives that you don’t like - crappy knives are dangerous

Clean your dishes and wipe down your counterops after the meal, so that next time you don’t have to first clean before cooking.

Every season throw away pantry crap you know you will never eat - check the dates on condiments

Have foil, clean tupperware and ziplock bags available for leftovers

Remove veggies from their plastic bags before placing in the crisper

Wash your veggies just before you are going to use it

In the morning take your frozen protein from the fridge and place it in the fridge (if it is lunchtime when you remember, simply place it on the kitchen counter)

Plan your week’s menu on Saturday or Sunday, and do your shopping for the week

Peel some garlic when you are bored and have in air-tight jar or tupperware

Breakfast

Greek Yogurt

Add Strawberries

Granola, muesli or other toppings

Hearty Scrambled Eggs

Sautee onions (yellow is best) in butter

After the onions begin to brown, add diced tomatoes

Crack in 2 eggs

Add chedder or pepper jack cheese as the eggs begin to cook

Scramble up the eggs after they have started to cook - so you have nice hearty chunks of eggs

Hardboiled Eggs:

(High proteien snack, breakfast & salad topping)

Bring water to a boil

Add eggs (cook 4 to 6 so to have some for Snacks and Salads)

Set timer for 9 minutes (this will deliver perfect eggs - no green!)
Remove from boiling water and immediately immerse the eggs in cool water

Hardboiled Egg & Toast

Make some toast & butter it

Slice the toast into bite sized chunks

Crumble the hardboiled eggs (2)

Lots of fresh black peppr & garlic salt to taste

Breakfast Potatoes

Take yesterday’s leftover baked potato, or thinly sliced raw potato

Extra virgin olive oil, bacon grease or butter

Season the potatoes with Black pepper & paprika and garlic salt

Fry in a pan until golden bown on both sides

Lunch

Awesome Sandwiches

The key to a great sandwich is fresh, real bread - some sort of sourdour is my preference

Dressing

Dressing can be as easy as shaking some extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar (also lowest practical calories)

Quick Hits

Hearty black/refried beans

A can of black beans - into a saunce pan

A generous amount of pepperjack cheese

Optionally crumble some crispy bacon

Serve after the cheese has melted into the mixture

Garnish with a dill pickle, pickled jalapeno or yellow wax peppers!

Hummus

1 (16 oz) can of Garbonzo beans

8 table spoons of Tahini (4 oz) - not critical to get this ratio perfect

Lots of minced garlic (more than other people like)

A splash of olive oil

Paprika (not critical)

Some lemon juice (squeeze a half of lemon)

Blend it until almost smooth, I like a little bit of texture left

Serve on crackers, celery, lettuce, chips or a sandwich

Tuna Salad

Can of tuna

Chopped yellor or red onion

Capers or minced pickles (dill not sweet)

A little mayo (less than you think - can always add more later)

Some lemon juice (less than you think)

Guacamole

2 Avocados

2 Tomatos

Half of a red onion minced

Minced cilantro

More lemon juice than you think <- key ingredient keeps it from turning brown

Operation Carb

Mashed Potatoes

Use at least 4 to 6 potatos to make it worth your time (mashed potatoes keep well)

Wash your potatoes, but leave the skin on (lots of vitamins and we are boiled the crap out of the potatos)

You can cube your potatoes to make the cooking go faster,

Throw them into a pot of water and turn it on high - walk away - let it go boil those spuds

Perhaps in 20 minutes come back and check on the potatoes, but there is no danger of over cooking these guys

When the potatoes fall apart to a fork, turn off the heat

Drain out the water

Mix in butter, black pepper and garlic salt to taste

Add in sour cream and top with chopped green onions (chives)

Awesome Baked Potatoes

Nuke your potato in the microwave - 8 to 10 minutes or until it breaks apart easily with a fork

Butter, black pepper & garlic salt
Great toppings

Green onions and sour cream & (bacon)

Kimchi & sour cream!

(boiled or microwaved) Broccoli (or cauliflower) and chedder cheese

Chili on top!

World’s Most Savory Rice

Boil 2 cups of water

Add 1 cup of rice

Turn heat to the lowest setting

Cover and walk away for at least 20 minutes, 30 minutes is fine too
Make it awesome

Add a quarter stick of butter

Lots of minced cilantro and/or parsley

Lots of sliced green onion

Pasta

Boil a bunch of water - don’t worry about salt or oil to the water

Just grab the pasta you want and toss it into the boiling water

Wait at least 6-9 minutes then begin to pull out a piece of pasta, and try biting it - you want just a bit of chew to the pasta - not mush

When it has the bite you like, note the time and remember for the next time you do that pasta with that pot

Drain the pasta

Add the sauce while the noodles are still hot

Any (Red Tomato Sauce) Pasta Dish

Empty your jar of sauce into a sauce pan

Add in any cans of minced tomatoes, stewed tomaotoes or tomato paste you might have

Add garlic - minced, sliced and chunks

Add fresh onions (yellow, purple, white & pearl)

Add fresh basil

Add chunks of fresh tomatoes

Add carrots

Add fresh cracked black pepper

Cook on medium heat (don’t boil) for a while - 30-45 minutes or until the carrots are to your liking
Awesome toppings

Fresh ricotta cheese laddled on top of your pasta

Pan-grilled shrimp or salmon

Pan grilled chicken

Sauteed sweet or spicy italian sausage

More fresh minced basil

Fresh grated parmesan cheese

Pan Grilling and Saute Time

Dark Green Veggies

Broccoli, Green Beans, Brussel Spouts, Broccolini, Leaks

Cut them into a reasonable size or slice

Place into a sauce pan with a decent amount of butter or olive oil

Lots of minced, sliced and chunks of garlic

In a low to medium heat sautee with lots of black pepper and some garlic salt

Brown/crisp some of the garlic ahead of time for more flavor

Don’t over cook these guys, it is worth baby-sitting

Crisp bacon crumbles always pleases with these

Magic Mushrooms

Slice up your mushrooms (white or brown)

A decent amount of butter (not olive oil)

A small amount of garlic is okay but not needed

Red wine

Saute at low to medium heat until you have a hearty meat-like side dish or taco filling

Pan Grilled Chicken

Bring chicken to room temperature, never try to cook frozen or very cold chicken - too hard to get correct

Sprinkle lots of garlic salt and fresh cracked black pepper on the chicken - I like thighs, but breasts or legs work as well

In your skillet & sauce pan pour in a half a beer - any kind of beer will work, but I like IPAs or wheat beers or any ale.

Add your chicken and bring the heat to medium-high

After searing your chicken with the hot butter or oil, add the beer!

The idea is that the chicken needs to be well cooked, but frying it in oil is over kill, and just oil or butter will not have enough heat conduction to cook the chicken, but beer (water) has much more volume to deliver that heat and yet give it some great flavor

Cook the chicken for a long time (until there is no more red blood at the bones) - probably 20-30 minutes

Add more pepper or garlic salt if the beer washes to much of it away
Making it Awesome

Cook all of the above but also add a can of Adobe Chipotle peppers and/or minced green chilis

Pan Grilled Swordfish & Salmon or Shrimp

Lots of minced garlic (more than you think)

Lots of minced fresh basil (even more than you think)

Butter & some white wine & lemon juice

Bring this mixture up in heat in a medium until the garlic is browning and the butter is bubbling

Add in your swordfish or salmon steak, and baby-sit it. Try flipping it to a new side every 60-120 seconds.

Garnish with capers, lemon wedges, fresh roughly cracked black pepper

Pan Grilled Tuna

Butter and Soy sauce into the pan (maybe a little red wine if you have some laying around)

Lots of fresh cracked black pepper (more than you think)

High heat & sear the tuna on each of the edges - baby sit this turn every 90 seconds or so - it is good if it is still raw in the center